1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charged particle beam apparatus that uses a charged particle beam such as an electron beam and an ion beam to observe and process a sample.
2. Description of the Related Art
In objects observed by a charged particle beam apparatus, a semiconductor device has a circuit pattern which has been miniaturized. Therefore, in addition to increase the sensitivity of an optical system, methods for inspecting and processing a semiconductor wafer by using a charged particle beam have attracted attention. An inspection device using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been developed. In order to inspect a semiconductor wafer on which a semiconductor device is formed, a defect review SEM and a critical dimension SEM are used. The defect review SEM is designed to use an optical image or an image obtained by scanning using a charged particle beam, detect a defect based on the image, and observe and categorize the defect. The critical dimension SEM is designed to measure the size of a pattern. In addition, the following techniques have been development: a technique for processing a defect using a focused ion beam (FIB) system; a technique for observing inclination of a sample using a SEM; a technique for analyzing a defect using an X ray; and the like. The structure and material of the semiconductor device have become increasingly complex. It has therefore been general that multiple inspection methods are used to organize inspected data. A device having multiple inspection functions has been proposed (refer to, for example, JP-A-2006-294481A1). On the other hand, there is a tendency that the diameter of a semiconductor device increases. Especially, since a charged particle beam scheme requires a vacuum chamber, a charged particle beam apparatus needs to have a large size. These affairs result in an increase in cost of an inspection system, reduction in the throughput of the device due to the increase in the size, and increase in risk of attachment of a foreign material to a wafer during transfer of the wafer in the complex inspection processes. This causes reduction in reliability for the inspection which is the most important matter primarily. The sizes of positioning stages provided in an electron beam device and an ion beam device have increased. This result in an increase in resistance required for driving each stage and an increase in residual vibration. Therefore, as well as decreasing of accuracy of the inspection and increasing of the time period to move the stage, increase in the time period for evacuation leads to a reduction in the throughput of the device. Installment of an inspection device having a large vacuum chamber in an expensive clean room may burden a user of the device with a large cost.